ישעיהו, פרק ל״ו, פסוק י׳

Standing before the besieged people of Jerusalem, the Assyrian commander delivers a calculated theological argument rather than a simple military threat. He positions himself not as an enemy of the God of Israel, but as His direct messenger sent to execute divine judgment upon the land. He asks the people a rhetorical question, challenging whether they truly believe he would embark on such a destructive campaign without God's explicit permission and consent [רש״י, מצודת ציון, שד״ל, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. To back up this claim, he points to the recent religious reforms of King Hezekiah, who had removed local altars across the country to centralize worship. Misunderstanding these actions, the Assyrian commander frames them as a grave insult to God's honor. He portrays himself as an avenger, stepping in to fight on God's behalf and punish the people for destroying His altars, acting under what he claims are direct divine orders [מלבי״ם].

The question arises as to how exactly he believed God commanded him to attack. The primary approach among commentators is that he was familiar with Israelite prophecies. Knowing that prophets had already foretold the Assyrian conquest of Samaria and Damascus, he mistakenly assumed that the same decree of destruction applied to Jerusalem [רש״י, מצודת דוד].

However, others strongly disagree with this theory. They argue that if the commander truly knew the prophecies of Isaiah, he would also be aware of the predictions foretelling the complete downfall of the Assyrian army in the land of Judah. Instead, they offer an explanation rooted in ancient historical warfare customs. According to this view, before laying siege to the city, the commander offered sacrifices to the God of the Jews, formally asking Him to abandon His people. This was a common pagan practice used to appease the local gods of conquered nations. It is highly likely that he then had his wise men inspect the animal entrails, a standard divination ritual, and they informed him that the God of the Jews had agreed to the destruction of the land. This explanation perfectly aligns with his pagan worldview; he did not recognize God as the Creator of heaven and earth, but merely treated Him as another local deity whose will had to submit to the overwhelming power of the Assyrian king [שד״ל].